The news surrounding Julio Cesar Chavez Jr has ceased to revolve around the sporting theme that, since last week, the Mexican boxer has monopolized the headlines for his arrest on July 3 by the ICE Agency (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service), who had his visa expired, illegal stay in the United States and an arrest warrant in Mexico, as well as a couple of arrests by the California police in previous years for illegal possession of a weapon and driving a car while intoxicated.
However, on Monday he was due to appear at a scheduled hearing in Los Angeles, but did not attend. Michael Goldstein, JC Chavez Jr’s lawyer, told USA Today that he does not know his whereabouts and fears he may be missing. He added that he does not even know if his client is still in the United States as he does not appear on ICE’s online detainee locator, although he acknowledged that it can take days or more than a week for a detainee to appear on the register while awaiting processing.
The legal situation of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in the United States
The hearing in Los Angeles was intended to determine his sentence for his arrest in January 2024, in the same city, on weapons possession charges. The court granted Chavez Jr. what is known as “pre-trial diversion”, which allows people charged with a crime to enter rehabilitation programs instead of facing trial. Goldstein said that Chavez Jr. had started the program five months ago on his own initiative. However, due to his absence, a new appointment has been set for August 21.
Two days ago, his legal team was informed that the son of the “Cesar del Boxeo” would be transferred to Hidalgo, Texas, under the custody of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which reported since his arrest that Chavez Jr. is for expedited removal to Mexico, where he has had an arrest warrant for several years for organized crime and arms trafficking in collusion with the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group classified by the US government as a Terrorist Organization.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s link with the Sinaloa Cartel
In the statement of his arrest in Studio City, the DHS pointed to Chavez Jr.’s links to the Sinaloa Cartel, having married Frida Munoz, widow of Edgar Guzman, one of the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, “El Chapo”, murdered in Sinaloa. According to prosecutor Alejandro Gertz Manero, the United States knew, at least since 2023, that Chavez Jr. had an arrest warrant in Mexico. Chavez Jr.’s lawyers in Mexico have filed five injunctions to try to prevent him from going to jail once US authorities hand him over.
Thus, Chavez Jr. could still be in ICE custody, while his removal from the United States is being processed. It is unknown why he did not appear, but it seems that the ICE agency has him held in a high-security prison in Texas where the paperwork has focused on his deportation and appearance before the Mexican authorities for his active affiliation with the Sinaloa Cartel, where he is accused of distributing weapons, ammunition and explosives.
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